Laser blinds copter pilot carrying sick patient

By John Kidman and police reporter

A HELICOPTER carrying a critically ill brain surgery patient could not land after the pilot was targeted by a laser beam from the ground.

A senior NSW Ambulance Service spokesman said the laser attack - one of a growing number against aircraft - could have been catastrophic.

The Bell 412EP was forced to restart its landing procedures when struck by the green beam from a residence in Marrickville about 10.30pm on Friday.

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The helicopter was en route from Nepean Hospital to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with a critically ill woman who had undergone brain surgery and required further treatment.

It was the second time in three weeks that pilot Darryl Humphries was the victim of such an attack.

"The laser distracted me whilst I was flying and caused me to stop doing a pre-landing check, which delayed landing with our patient," Mr Humphries said yesterday.

"Some of these lasers can cause permanent eye damage, which is quite scary when you're trying to get a critically ill patient to hospital."

Ambulance Service helicopter operations manager Steve Hughes said on this occasion the person responsible had repeatedly swept the light across the helicopter's path.

In the previous incident a red laser beam was aimed directly into Mr Humphries' eyes.

Mr Hughes said the culprits needed to grow up.

"I'd say to them, get a bit of maturity about yourself and have a think about what you're doing," he said.

"The risks you create for the pilot, the crew and the patients is considerable. Not only that, if it had resulted in an accident, we're flying in over domestic properties all the time and we could end up crashing onto suburban areas.

"It has some fairly large ramifications when you think about [it]."

Aviation authorities have been briefed and NSW police are investigating.

Commercial Qantas flights have recently been targeted with lasers - one as it approached Brisbane Airport this month and another as it attempted to land at Darwin Airport in August.

Since 2006 there have been more than 170 reports of laser lights being directed at aircraft and the number is increasing. Forty-nine incidents were reported between April and June this year.